Plunge routers are used to remove material from surfaces for decorative and functional purposes. Generally, plunge routers must be more powerful than ordinary routers because the router tool must be able to cut perpendicularly into the surface. High torque loads applied to the portable plunge router must be manually restrained.
Plunge routers having handles are well known in the art. Examples of plunge routers having handles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,244,406; 4,445,811; 4,770,573; 4,562,872 and Des. 307,104.
Prior designs have handles which are intended to be used with a single-grip orientation. In practice, two operational positions are commonly used including a plunge mode when the tool is driven into the work piece and fine detailing mode of operation where the router is steadied by contacting the workpiece with the hands of the operator holding the handles. In the plunge mode the greatest torque loads are encountered and full grip strength must be applied to the router handles. In the fine detailing mode, less material is removed resulting in lower torque loads, but it is important to be able to control and steady router movement by resting the heel or side of the hand on the workpiece.
One problem encountered by prior plunge routers is that of providing handles which enable the user to operate controls while maintaining a firm grip on the router. Portable routers have control switches for turning the router on and off, speed control, plunge advance and retract and plunger lock. Generally, one or more of the control switches are located on the housing of the router at a point spaced from the router handles. Operating a control having a switch mounted on the housing necessitates reaching with a finger or thumb from the handle to the body of the housing.
While some patents disclose the concept of providing a switch on the handle, no known prior design accommodates all necessary controls on the handle of the portable router. Space limitations and the structure connecting the handles to the housing in prior art devices preclude mounting all of the controls on the handles. Handle supports extending from the housing of the router to the handles have to be strong enough to withstand applied torque loads.
These and other problems encountered by the prior art have been solved by the present invention as summarized below.